Chapter 80

'Baron Eilsworth bought all the gold lilies to give to his wife!' The next day, this news spread throughout the capital. It seemed that the merchant from the flower garden, who had received a blank check, had been inquiring everywhere to find out the identity of the person who had paid such a large sum. Until now, only those who were well-informed knew about the country baron who had become rich overnight from a mithril mine discovery, but thanks to this incident, even those who were not so well-informed became aware of 'Baron Eilsworth.'

'Prince Orca was right.'

Thanks to the merchant from the flower garden, who had many noble clients, the name spread so quickly. Of course, Altear's action of buying all the precious gold lilies just to give to his wife also contributed to the rapid spread of the news. No matter how much wealth one had, it was rare to spend money so generously. It was only when something unusual happened that rumors spread widely. As a result, the Viscount Bain's household received invitations every day. Gentlemen sent invitations to Altear, and ladies sent them to me, hoping to build a relationship. It seemed that stories were also subtly coming in through Uncle and Melisa. There were also invitations from nobles who had made a name for themselves in the capital, but after consulting with Altear, we decided to decline them all. Altear would debut in the capital's social circle this season. Considering that central nobles usually debuted in the social circle as soon as they reached adulthood, this was a rather late debut.

'Everything starts with the first step.'

It seemed best to make his first appearance at an event hosted by the emperor. Appearing at small gatherings frequently and wearing out one's image would be less effective than making a grand entrance at a large event. Of course, my timid nature, which disliked noisy parties and the stress of sweating profusely, and Altear's disposition, which disliked complicated matters, also played a role.

'Phew. It's a good thing Altear isn't a social type...'

Following a social husband to various parties seemed like something I couldn't endure.

'Well... Altear seems to be overly uninterested in the social circle...'

Ironically, it was I, the timid one, who was fretting over reputation and influence in the social circle. When two people meet and need to complement each other, the one with even a little ability in that area tends to fill the gap. Since Altear was indifferent to others' opinions and evaluations, the 'social circle management' naturally fell to me. It was a task I was half-pushed into, but wanting to do well as a wife, I gradually found myself adapting to the situation given to me. My timid nature was slowly building up immunity. Stopping the duke's unreasonable demands at the flower garden was something I never would have thought of doing before.

'I would have just stomped my feet in frustration inside.'

But now, I found myself getting involved in such situations without even realizing it.

'Perhaps it's because I have a solid ally?'

Of course, this ally often surprised me with unexpected actions, but that was another story. I stared at the endless stream of yellow lilies coming into the room, my mouth agape. I knew there were many when I saw them in the glass greenhouse, but I was still amazed. The large room was so full of lilies that they had even taken over the hallway, making me wonder if this was some kind of punishment. The door couldn't even be closed properly. I continued to stare with my mouth open at the culprit of this situation. Altear frowned, seemingly displeased with the overwhelming scent of the flowers.

"We can't keep all of these here."

I sighed and pointed to the vase on the bedside table.

"I think this bouquet is enough."

The vase contained a bunch of gold lilies that Altear had picked for me from the glass greenhouse that day.

"You said you wanted to buy all the lilies that day. You can use them as originally intended."

"I was going to present them to His Majesty the Emperor. Just like the duke who originally intended to buy the flowers."

Hearing my thoughts, Altear frowned slightly, looking troubled. He must have realized that presenting them to the emperor was now impossible. Everyone in the capital knew that Baron Eilsworth had given all the gold lilies to his wife, and presenting them again would be like mocking the emperor.

'The emperor never wears the same clothes twice.'

If he received a gift that was once someone else's, he would consider it a mockery and become angry.

"Since the situation is like this, I plan to write rejection letters to the nobles who invited us and send them a bouquet of lilies."

"To the nobles?"

"Yes. We are new to the capital's social circle, so we need to decline gracefully. If we share the precious flowers our husband gave us, they will be pleased."

Even if they received ordinary flowers, they would be satisfied, but with precious gold lilies, there would be no doubt.

"Of course, if Altear allows it."

Thinking of the giver's sincerity, I quickly added. Altear shrugged.

"Since I've already given them to you, you can use them however you like."

"Great. Since I have your permission, I'll call Marie and Anna to distribute the flowers."

They were guarding the entrance to the mansion to prevent the servants, who were buzzing about the incoming gold lilies, from getting too close. Marie, who had endured a lot of mistreatment with me, looked relieved and satisfied, seeing the envy and surprise in the servants' eyes.

'She must have had a hard time when we were both mistreated, even if she doesn't say it to avoid making me feel bad.'

Thinking that this could compensate for Marie's difficult times, the invasion of gold lilies didn't seem so bad. As I thought about this and looked at the noisy hallway beyond the open door, a question popped into my mind.

"By the way, how did you know to come to the flower garden that day?"

The events of that day had been so hectic that I hadn't properly asked Altear about the situation.

"Don't give me that nonsense about 'happening to pass by.' That's not believable."

Altear's lips, which had started to move to answer, closed tightly. He must have been about to give the ridiculous excuse of 'happening to pass by.'

"I wasn't sure about the capital's security, so I assigned guards. They said you went into a suspicious place..."

I hadn't noticed anyone following me. It was natural that I, an ordinary person, wouldn't detect the movements of highly trained knights.

"The capital is safe. After all, it's directly governed by the emperor."

"I don't believe in things I haven't experienced myself."

Altear shrugged.

"By the way, how did you end up accompanying the prince?"

"Oh, that was about the watch..."

I started to explain naturally but then remembered that I still had the pocket watch I bought for Altear. It felt awkward to suddenly give a gift without a reason, so I had been putting it off. As I tried to dodge the question, Altear's expression grew darker over time. Was he thinking something bad had happened? I needed to give him the gift before his misunderstanding grew.

'Anyway, since Altear gave me flowers, I can say it's in return.'

Fortunately, the flower gifts were still coming in. If Altear hadn't given me flowers, I would have just put the watch in a drawer, wondering how to give it to him.

"I, I have something to give you!"

Embarrassed, I opened the small drawer of the bedside table where the vase was placed. A high-quality, elegant box sat there, and I quickly picked it up and brought it to Altear, who was looking at me with a puzzled expression.

"Here! I bought this for Altear!"

I swallowed hard and extended the box to Altear. He stared at it blankly, blinking in surprise.

"Why, why aren't you taking it..."

Embarrassed, I protested, and Altear finally took the box, looking puzzled.

"Did you buy this for me?"

"Yes. I hope you like it... If you don't, we can exchange it!"

"Exchange? That's ridiculous."

Altear briefly refused and opened the box. His movements seemed a bit fumbling, and I tilted my head in confusion. Altear, who had already identified the gift, opened his eyes wide.

"A pocket watch."

"Yes! All the gentlemen in the capital carry beautiful pocket watches. Since Altear will be entering the social circle, I thought it would be good to have a nice one."

"..."

Altear started examining the watch in silence. I became even more anxious and added more to explain how good a gift it was.

"This is a rare watch that the merchant doesn't usually display. He had to take it out from the back. Plus, it's black. I thought it was perfect for Altear as soon as I saw it. Black is for Altear."

"Black is for me? What kind of logic is that?"

Altear chuckled at my elaborate explanation.

"Well... thinking pink is for you is similar, right?"

"Black hair, pink hair... they're both rare, after all."

It's natural to associate someone with their hair color. Lately, I found myself naturally thinking of Altear whenever I saw someone in black.

'So, does Altear think of me whenever he sees pink?'

The thought made me feel a bit embarrassed.

"Did you know?"

While trying to calm my slightly flushed cheeks, Altear asked.

"You've never given me anything before."

"Um... really?"

"Yes. You only made sandwiches for the knights. And the tea party invitations too."

Sandwiches? Tea party invitations?

'What is he talking about...'

I never thought Altear would remember such things.

"Ah, I'll give you a lot from now on!"

I felt guilty for only receiving things from Altear! Apologizing hastily, I saw Altear nod and smile.

"No. Thinking about it, you've already given me a lot."

'Me? What?'

Confused, I blinked, and Altear lightly ruffled my hair. At first, I thought he was just messing with my hair, but now I knew why he did it. He did it when he felt embarrassed or awkward.

'Altear is embarrassed now.'

Feeling proud that I could make Altear, who never wavered, feel embarrassed, I smiled widely. His hand, which had been ruffling my hair, froze. As I looked at Altear's face, our lips met.

'People are in the hallway!'

Startled, I shrank back, and Altear's lips pulled away. Looking at the open door, I saw the servants of the Bain household staring with wide eyes.

'Oh no... so embarrassing!'

"U-Um, we need to distribute the flowers. We should hurry!"

Embarrassed, I quickly left the room. My behavior must have looked awkward to anyone watching. As I turned, I glanced at Altear, who had a subtle expression.

"...Lately, I can't control myself."

Hearing his small murmur, my face turned red, and I hurriedly walked towards Marie and Anna. ***

The long-prepared Silver Jubilee event finally began. The entire capital was buzzing with excitement for the Silver Jubilee, but the most vibrant place was the royal palace. However, a small annex, Prince Orca's residence, located a bit away from the center of the palace, remained unchanged. Orca, with the help of a maid, changed into his clothes and stood in front of a large mirror. His neat attire and well-groomed hair felt unfamiliar.

"Your Highness, it's time to move to the grand ballroom."

As I stared at the mirror, a servant rushed in to announce the time. The last person to appear in the grand ballroom is the emperor, whose entrance time is fixed, so all guests must arrive before then.

"Yes, let's go."

Orca followed the servant's urging and moved. While everyone was eagerly awaiting the emperor, Orca's purpose was different.

'Today is the debut of that stiff baron in the central social circle.'

Baron Eilsworth, unlike newly adult young men and women, wouldn't be trembling with nervousness, but his first appearance was still anticipated. The same went for Baron Eilsworth's wife.

'The baron's vigilance is no joke...'

Orca narrowed his eyes, recalling Altear's sudden appearance at the flower garden.